The Ascendant or Rising sign is the name given to the sign on the eastern horizon during the time of birth of an individual. Having a Virgo Ascendant means that during your birth, the sign of Virgo was rising from above the ground, the same way that the Sun rises. People who have Virgo as their Rising sign, have Mercury (Virgo’s ruling planet) as their overall chart ruler.
Our Rising Sign is a very important astrological parameter, even though many theories are proposed by different astrologers and astrological systems. Still, most agree that the Ascendant defines our body and physical characteristics, also playing a strong role in the development of our character. This is quite natural, as the 1st house (the Ascendant being on its cusp) is responsible for our ego, self-perception and behavior. We should keep in mind, that when the Ascendant is at the beginning of a sign, the sign’s traits are more potent than when it is placed at its end. When the next sign occupies the biggest part of the 1st house, it naturally gives a lot of its traits to the native’s character and even to his body. If your Ascendant is at the last degrees of a sign, you can consider the next sign as a co-Ascendant. Many people though, experience the next sign to behave as the Rising sign a lot more than the one which is actually rising.
Before we continue with the traits which Virgo grants, we should mention that depending on the geographical latitude, each sign needs slightly different time to ascend. If we are born near the equator, the differences are hardly visible. Yet, the closer we are born to any of the two poles, the better the differences between signs can be visible. This is also the reason why people born in rather extreme northern or southern latitudes can experience rather strange natal charts, with some houses being huge while some others quite small. As always, we propose to our readers to use the Placidus system in calculating their houses, because we find it to function better both on our own charts and on the charts of other people that we have analyzed.
In the northern hemisphere, Virgo is rising a lot slower than the rest of the signs. When someone is born at 50 degrees Northern latitude, the sign will need two hours and 45 minutes to rise fully. At a city placed at 60 degrees Northern latitude, the sign will need around three hours and 20 minutes. Thus, a person born in the Northern hemisphere has statistically a lot more possibilities to have a Virgo Ascendant, when the average time a sign needs to Ascend is two hours.
As we already mentioned, individuals with a Virgo Ascendant will have the planet Mercury as their chart ruler. The planet of intelligence and communication will be very important in their lives, and also strongly connected with their physical body, vitality and appearance. Their body and self will be affected not only by transits of planets through their Ascendant, but also by transits to Mercury. In addition, natal aspects of other planets to Mercury, while also its location in a particular house, will play an important role. People with Virgo Ascendant must take care to empower their Mercury in healthy ways, as its functions will always have a positive or negative effect overall on their chart, touching all their life areas.
Having Virgo as your Ascendant feels like having Mercury in your 1st house. It is also kind of similar to having Gemini in the 1st house, especially considering how important communication and information are for such people. Yet, Virgos tend to be the introvert Mercurial types, while Gemini the extrovert ones. Still, Virgo Ascendant people will always prefer their intellect over their body. They feel like they are a brain, rather than a body. Natural pessimists, Virgo Rising people will always be over-analytical and stall on details. Even concerning their own body, they have a tendency to be rather judgmental about it, preferring to concentrate on small elements that they dislike rather than what they consider beautiful. This is quite natural, as the planet-messenger enhances all their abilities connected with thought, thus slightly diminishing the role of their physical self. Virgo Rising people think too much, and usually perceive the cup as half-empty.
Such individuals usually think very quickly, can speak too much, but usually, stall and wait first. They can be laconic, as they focus on the intake of information. Their mind can be a very large database, and contrary to Geminoid people Virgoans filter data before allowing them to enter their mind, before being processed. This is the reason that will make a Virgo Rising person a good researcher. They have a strong curiosity, but usually for specified subjects and not broad and trivial ones.
Many people might find them boring, or not so fun, because the mind of a Virgo Rising is rather serious. The same can be easily seen in their dressing style. They will choose to wear conservative yet chic clothes. They may easily wear expensive ones, and the first degrees of Virgo will use it to show-off, because star Regulus (the Heart of Lion, star of the Kings) resides in the 1st degree of Virgo in our era. Still, their appearance will radiate seriousness, while also many times making them seem more dominant.
Concerning their appearance, they usually have characteristics that give them a low profile. Virgo Rising people themselves choose to follow similar patterns as they do with clothes. Even Virgo Ascendant women will not emphasize on their physical beauty, avoiding too much make-up and choosing to look realistic. They may even avoid having their photo taken, and generally prefer not to be easily noticed in their surroundings. Neutrality and incognito are two words that can easily describe their subconscious goals.
A hidden reason behind this can be an inner need to have control over the situations that happen around them, and to have the key for initiating such. The more unnoticed they are, the less they can get into situations initiated by others. As a body, they usually do not reach extremes of any kind (height, weight and other characteristics). They tend to have darker hair and eyes, and might be a little bit shorter than the average.
In their relationships, this will definitely make them sapiosexual, getting attracted to the mind more than another individual’s body. In other occasions, it might lower the libido and draw them towards more platonic relationships. In any case, when it comes to their connection to other people, mind and communication certainly are of greater importance than the body and more animalistic urges. Yet, even concerning love, Virgo Ascendant people can be very judgmental and picky. As organisms, they have special biorhythms that even lead to daily patterns and rituals, which can raise a wall against someone who is too erratic for them or cannot follow them. They always have high expectation of others, making it more difficult to find a specific other who will suit them well.
Speaking of daily patterns, we must also mention the possibility of having eating patterns, which can be even created by their inner fears of developing body malfunctions. Virgo, as the ruler of the 6th house, rules nutrition and its structured organization. Virgo Ascendants will frequently establish such a regime over their body, or develop some types of repetitive exercises. We should not forget that Virgo is ruling our intestines and digestion and the spleen. This also makes them their weak spot, which means that being picky about their food may bring good desirable effects and keep the body healthy. Yet, a Virgo Rising person should also guard himself against hypochondria, and not allow any possible natural pessimism empower it furthermore.
Virgo also rules our nervous system. Virgo-an overthinking can bring anxiety, sleep disorders and other nervous or even mental dysfunctions. In addition, worrying can also have its impact on their body. Naturally, psycho-somatic issues can arise self-suggestion. If you have Virgo as your Ascendant, know that you can easily make yourself sick or heal yourself through your own mind. Sometimes, the real problem will be the idea behind an illness, and not the illness itself. In any case, make sure that you give your mind the necessary amount of rest from information, in order to keep it healthy. This will definitely also have a positive effect on your material existence.
Needless to say that Virgo Ascendant is a great natal characteristic for a good career. Virgo is connected to the 6th house, which rules work. In addition, the seriousness that such people ooze will make them stable and respected. Their work quality can be cream-of-the-crop, as they have an inner tendency for perfectionism. Such people will double-check anything, which makes them great for positions where details matter a lot, like scientific research. Also, they can easily carry responsibility, putting all their efforts and completely concentrating on a project.
Always have in mind that any planet present near the Ascendant point will definitely alter both the physical appearance and the characteristics of the native. We could say that in the first 10 degrees of the first house it will have the strongest influence on the Ascendant, while also the last 5 degrees of the 12th house. The planet’s energies blend with the Ascendant ones; we can imagine the sign as a canvas while the planet as the paint that will, in the end, create the unique picture of the individual. Of course, it is possible to have more than one planets (or astrological points/ asteroids) in conjunction with the ascendant – furthermore complicating the big picture. To understand better your body, your Ego and how they function you should analyze all those planetary influences. This is why knowing your Ascendant does not necessarily mean jumping to correct conclusions about your life.
You can use our free natal chart generator, in order to understand better not only your Rising Sign but also any possible planets that are present near it. Also, do not forget to pay attention to your natal Mercury placement, so that you discover the functions of your chart ruler and how it will affect your life and priorities. Finally, do not forget to read the article about natal Mercury in the 1st house, as it has many similarities to having a Virgo Rising.